AOW "elective" dives don't seem so elective.

[TT_Vert]

Basically the dive op said, we're doing this, this and this so read those sections. One is wreck which I have no interest in doing and one was S&R. In fairness they did say they'd work w/ us so I want to get opinions.

I understand that logistics prevent certain types of elective dives in certain areas. We'll be in Florida and so there are some obvious limitations. PPB is a for sure, there is always something to learn there. We've done our fair share of boat/night diving and are nitrox certified so I'm not sure there is a ton this guy would teach us on that front in one dive. I would LOVE to do dry suit but they don't have any rental gear for that. With that said, i guess we are somewhat limited

• Peak Performance Buoyancy: Helps you refine your buoyancy control, making you more efficient and comfortable in the water.
  Will do
• Night Dive: Allows you to experience the underwater world in a different light, with unique marine life and challenges.
  Done our fair share but not sure logistically they can make that happen anyway
• Wreck Dive: Introduces you to the art of wreck diving, with safety considerations and exploration techniques.
  Not a huge fan of penetration diving or an overhead. I've dove cenotes w/o an overhead and at the time I was OK with it but as I dove more I just didn't like the idea.
• Underwater Photography: Helps you capture the beauty of the underwater world, learning techniques for taking great photos and videos.
  Not really interested, we do film underwater but it's purely rec. and a cheapy gopro which I'm ok with.
• Search and Recovery: Teaches you how to locate and retrieve lost objects underwater.
  This sort of leaves this as my only semi useful option for an elective dive
• Drift Dive: Allows you to experience the thrill of drifting along with the current.
  Love drift diving but I doubt they'll have much of a current out that way.
• Digital Underwater Photography: Focuses on taking photos or videos underwater.
  Not really interested, we do film underwater but it's purely rec. and a cheapy gopro which I'm ok with.
• Underwater Naturalist: Explores the underwater ecosystem and its inhabitants.
  Not really interested in this TBH
• Enriched Air Nitrox: Allows you to extend your no-decompression limits by using a higher oxygen mix, but requires a separate certification.
  Already certified, can I learn anything more in the course of using this as an AOW dive? Have you?
• Dry Suit Diving: If you plan to dive in colder waters, a dry suit can keep you warm and comfortable.
  Would love to, cannot get gear

 

[rick00001967]

personally, unless you plan on continuing to the padi pro levels, i would skip the aow and take a dedicated specialty that helps you achieve what ever your dives goals are.
deep or navigation might be two of my first choices.

 

[TT_Vert]

personally, unless you plan on continuing to the padi pro levels, i would skip the aow and take a dedicated specialty that helps you achieve what ever your dives goals are.
deep or navigation might be two of my first choices.

Agreed, the only reason I'm taking AOW is because most of the LOBs on the GBR are heavily requesting (Pretty much requiring it) it to dive with them due to the depth of some of the diving. I've done any diving they will take me to but it's one of their requirements.

 

[tursiops]

personally, unless you plan on continuing to the padi pro levels, i would skip the aow and take a dedicated specialty that helps you achieve what ever your dives goals are.
deep or navigation might be two of my first choices.

You can't take Deep without some prerequisites. AOW is the most common.

 

[TT_Vert]

Deep diving isn't something i'm ever going to do. About 110' is the deepest we dive and that's only for very specific reasons.

Dave

 

[boulderjohn]

Night Dive: Allows you to experience the underwater world in a different light, with unique marine life and challenges.
Done our fair share but not sure logistically they can make that happen anyway

Night diving in South Florida is commonly done as a shore dive. A night dive at Blue Heron Bridge is a great experience.

Wreck Dive: Introduces you to the art of wreck diving, with safety considerations and exploration techniques.
Not a huge fan of penetration diving or an overhead. I've dove cenotes w/o an overhead and at the time I was OK with it but as I dove more I just didn't like the idea.

There is not all that much penetration in the course, but you learn to do it safely. Wreck diving is a major part of the normal dive activities in South Florida.

Search and Recovery: Teaches you how to locate and retrieve lost objects underwater.
This sort of leaves this as my only semi useful option for an elective dive

This is good practical experience for navigation, because much of the searching involves compass work. If someone ever asks you to search for something they lost under water, you will be glad you took the course. It is much harder to do than you might think.

Underwater Naturalist: Explores the underwater ecosystem and its inhabitants.
Not really interested in this TBH

If this is well done, it can change your dive experiences. Research shows the ability to recognize and name objects during an experience assists in understanding and remembering the experience. If someone asks what you saw on a dive, and all you can say is "fish," contrast that with being able to say things like "I saw sergeant majors guarding their eggs. I saw a tiny damsel fish trying to scare me away from its algae patch. I saw a cleaning station with yellow cleaner wrasse picking the parasites off a grouper."

 

[boulderjohn]

Here in Colorado we are limited in what we can do on an AOW dive. I encouraged the students to choose the altitude specialty because there is absolutely nothing to do on the dive. That gave me the freedom to focus the entire dive on the skills I had noticed they needed to work on.

You might see if the instructor is willing to work along those lines with you on dives that you might otherwise find less interesting. Drift diving is a good possibility. There is a lot of drift diving done in parts of South Florida, but it usually isn't all that challenging during the dive itself. You can get a lot of training in during such a dive.

 

[TT_Vert]

Thanks for the input guys. Appreciate the info thus far.

 

[rick00001967]

You can't take Deep without some prerequisites. AOW is the most common.

no such requirement with ssi

 

[rick00001967]

Agreed, the only reason I'm taking AOW is because most of the LOBs on the GBR are heavily requesting (Pretty much requiring it) it to dive with them due to the depth of some of the diving. I've done any diving they will take me to but it's one of their requirements.

yes that seems to be more and more common today. two possible reasons.....one, they are just trying to sell you a course, or two, their insurance may require them to ask for it.
i would check if they will accept a deep cert and do that instead.
padi aow is pretty much useless as far as real training goes. just my opinion. and i took padi aow. but when i did it, it was cheaper to take the course than pay for that number of dives during one of my vacations, so why not right.